The Celebration of Mūlid Sīdī al-cIryān (Saint Barsum the Naked) from an Intangible Cultural Heritage Perspective

Seddik, Raghda; Fouad, Randa

doi:10.21608/jaauth.2020.51915.1092

The Celebration of Mūlid Sīdī al-cIryān (Saint Barsum the Naked) from an Intangible Cultural Heritage Perspective

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Raghda Seddik ¹
Randa Fouad ²

¹ Tourism Guidance Department, Faculty of Tourism and Hotel Management, Helwan University.

² Tourism Guidance Department and Heritage and Museum Studies Program, Faculty of Tourism and Hotel Management, Helwan University.

10.21608/jaauth.2020.51915.1092

Abstract

The Egyptian community, with its varying background characteristics, has been renowned for its richness in the intangible cultural heritage. Throughout history, religion has been always an integral part of the Egyptians’ everyday lives and their intangible cultural heritage at large. It has also played a significant role as a means of connecting people and maintaining political power and social order. The annual celebration of Moulid Sidi Al-Eryan represents one of the most extraordinary Egyptian moulids celebrated by both, Christians and Muslims, and in which the five domains of the intangible cultural heritage are clearly manifested and overlapped. This paper aims at highlighting the most remarkable aspects of celebration associated with Moulid Sidi Al-Eryan. It also focuses on the intangible cultural heritage practices, traditions, rituals and expressions performed by the Christian and Muslim practitioners within the celebration. Moreover, it stresses on the fact that the celebration of Moulid Sidi Al-Eryan exemplifies the shared cultural heritage of Christians and Muslims, religious tolerance, interdependence as partners in the homeland.

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